Open-ended narrative questions are unpopular with courts and should be avoided. However, these questions sometimes call for narratives that can produce long speeches on irrelevant matters, wasting the time of the court and the parties. In those instances, attorneys must normally use open-ended questions such as, "On the day in question, what did you observe?" When Are Leading Questions Allowed?īecause of their potential to lead to misleading testimonial evidence, these types of questions aren't allowed on direct examination, that is, when a party's attorney is questioning their own witnesses. For example, in the exchange above, the witness may want to testify that the gun was stolen from the defendant before the murder, but since that question was not asked, the witness could not provide that specific answer, leaving certain perceptions in the minds of a jury. Leading questions can also be used to create perceptions by not allowing a witness to qualify their answer. In effect, this allows the attorney to indirectly testify through the witness, which can be quite effective. Questioning Attorney: And this is the firearm that was used in the murder, correct? Witness: Yes.Īs you can see, a sophisticated attorney can use leading questions to get a witness to validate the attorney's words. Questioning Attorney: The defendant owned the firearm that is an exhibit in this case, correct? As an example, consider the following hypothetical courtroom exchange: When an attorney uses clever wording and specific details in their questioning of witnesses in order to give them the answer they desire, it's called a leading question. The following is an overview of leading questions, what they are, and when they're allowed in legal proceedings. Many leading questions call for answers of either "yes" or "no." But not all questions that call for an answer of "yes" or "no" are leading questions (just as not all leading questions call for a "yes" or "no" answer). Torn between his professional code of ethics and his intense connection with Riley, Hunter finds himself at a crossroads wondering whose interests he’ll ultimately protect.As indicated by the term, a leading question is one that leads a witness to an answer, by either suggesting the answer or by substituting the words of the questioning attorney for those of the witness. And when someone sets Riley’s pub on fire, he can’t help but suspect his own client. Because after months of flirting with Riley at the pub, and now knowing that she’ll soon be free, Hunter is determined to make her his.īut as the proceedings get messier and secrets are revealed, Hunter’s running out of tricks to keep both parties happy. Feeling like he’s betraying her, Hunter vows to settle this case as quickly as he can by any means possible. He didn’t even know she was getting a divorce, and now he’s stuck defending the man who wants to screw Riley out of everything. When he comes face to face with his client’s soon-to-be ex, he’s shocked to see Riley McMahon, owner of his local pub and the woman he’s wanted ever since he first laid eyes on her. But he never expects taking this client would turn his entire world upside down. So when he meets his latest client, even though he can’t stand the guy, let alone understand how any woman would ever marry him, he is still determined to win his case. Hunter Brayze doesn’t always like his clients but as the divorce attorney for Bentley & Channing Law, he doesn’t have to. New York Times bestselling author Chantal Fernando “turns up the heat” ( RT Book Reviews) in this steamy standalone novel when a divorce lawyer finds himself stuck between his client and the woman he desires-and soon he’ll be forced to choose sides.
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